The Prize by Brenda Joyce

never forget
that this man had acute senses—that he did not miss a thing—that he almost had
eyes in the back of his head. Perversely, she said, low and almost as angry as
he, "If my wish is to jump, the time will come when you will not be able
to stop me."
    And he smiled.
"Is that a challenge or a threat?"
    She inhaled, struck
hard by his look, his tone, his words: Something odd happened then. He was
standing so close, he was so tall, so virile, so in control, and with the
comprehension that he would not allow her to die came a breathless sensation
and a fiery tingling to her every nerve. She backed away instantly, nervously,
suddenly awash in confusion.
    "Get her to the Defiance . And if she even looks at the water,
blindfold her," he snapped to Gus.
    Virginia stared. He stared back. In that
moment she knew that in any battle that ensued between them, she simply could
not win.
    Male arms lifted her
over a hard shoulder. She cried out, but it was too late, for Gus was climbing
down the rope ladder to the dinghy, holding her like a treasured sack of gold.
Upside down, she met the pirate's eyes. It was hard to see clearly from this
humiliating position, but she could have sworn that he was frowning harshly at
her now.
    And by the time she
was right side up and seated in the bow, he was gone.
     
     

Chapter 4

     
    From
the decks of the Americana the seas had looked pleasant enough. The
moment the dinghy was set free, the small boat leapt and bucked wildly as two
sailors rowed it toward the hulk that was the Defiance . Virginia gripped the edge of the boat, sea spray
soaking her. A minute ago, the Defiance had
seemed so close by. Now it looked terribly far away.
    A huge wave took the
rowboat high up toward the sky. Virginia bit her lip to keep from crying out and then they were cast at breakneck speed
toward the pit of the rushing seas.
    But they did not go
under. Another frothing swell raised them up again. Virginia hadn't eaten since that morning, but she
realized she was in danger of retching. She managed to tear her gaze from the
violence of the ocean and saw that none of the sailors seemed at all concerned.
She tried to breathe more naturally but it was impossible. Then her gaze met
Gus's.
    Instantly he looked
away at the mother ship, his cheeks crimson.
    What nonsense, she
thought angrily, to order the men to
    avoid looking at her.
"Gus! How will we disembark?" she shouted at him. An attempt to do so
now seemed suicidal.
    Another huge sea
spray thoroughly soaked her; Gus acted as if he hadn't heard her question. The
ocean was very loud, however, so she repeated herself, now hollering. His shoulders
squared and he refused to look her way.
    Finally they reached
the other ship. A sailor tossed down ropes and a plank attached to the ship was
lowered, answering Virginia 's question. She could not wait
to get out of the bucking rowboat.
    The sailors above
were staring at her. Their rude gazes gave her a savage satisfaction. Gus said
tersely, "She's the captain's. No one's to speak to her, no one's to look
at her, captain's orders."
    Four crude gazes
veered away.
    As Virginia was helped onto the plank by
Gus, who held on to her with a firm grip, she wondered at the control^ that
O'Neill had over his men. How did he instill their instant submission and
obedience? Undoubtedly he was a cruel and harsh master.
    "This way,"
Gus said, not looking at her. He'd released her arm now that they were on the
vast main deck of the frigate, for she rode the sea more gently than the dinghy
and even than the Americana .
    A sick feeling began. Virginia gazed about her at the huge
pirate ship, wishing she knew her fate. She found herself being led across the
deck, where word of the captain's orders had obviously spread, as she was
studiously avoided. A moment later she was in a small cabin with her single
valise, the door closed behind her.
    Virginia hugged herself. It had happened.
She was the pirate captain's prisoner—she was in the pirate